Hey chicklets...made if back from Louisville....a successful trip. I think this is all a good thing...will probably be promoted to Sales Coordinator, but no more pay as my last position I was making more than a beginner SC. Oh well....more respect?? OMG the traffic coming back home was horrible. I ended up exiting I65, three exits early and taking country roads the rest of the way. Sassy was so excited to see me...wagged her tail off and kissed me relentlessly. lol

LAURA....if we can make it to the movie before noon on Saturday or Sunday it only costs 5 bucks a piece. That is what we do and if we cannot make it before noon, we do not go. I may be going by myself this Saturday unless I decide to see the new James Bond movie.

CHELLE...better packing 2 boxes rather than none....you will get there....just be patient with YOURSELF!! hugs!

MELLIE...do you think the repairmen just do the minimum to try to resolve the problems to get out of the job...i.e. batteries?? Really? Do the max to get the problem resolved. That way they do not have to come back....People are stupid!

CEEG...enjoy your 3 days off....make it about yourself...not about others...

HAPPY...what a break to spend time with momma. You will be glad later on in life. Trust me!!

SHADDIE...time to go home and get some rest...do NOT plan a bunch of project for home...just relax for next week.

ELLEN....come back!

Sassy was so happy to see me....love all over me. ha ha...maybe C will be the same! I don't know...kind of tired as I did not sleep to well in the hotel. Off to figure out dinner...

GOOD MORNING CHICKS.
I WOKE UP LATE AND AM ALREADY BEHIND.
I HAVE A FLU SHOT THIS MORNING AND LUNCH WITH THE INDIAN FRIEND.
WELL NOT LUNCH, I DON'T EAT THERE BUT HE DOES.
HE IS COMING RIGHT AFTER THE SHOT AROUND 10AM.
WE'LL CHAT AND THEN HE EATS WITH OTHER FRIENDS IN THE BLDG.
HE'LL BE LEAVING FOR INDIA VERY SOON SO THIS IS HIS LAST VISIT.
BE BACK LATER OR MANANA. KEEP WELL

Morning.
Not much has happened since yesterday. Will be going to Jonesboro later today to spend the night with bff.
Can't wait till next week end. Will be going to visit sis in Springfield/Branson area.
Didn't realize it but yesterday was 10-11-12.
I can now wear my size 16's.

Ceejay - Enjoy your weekend and your time with your friend. It'll be nice to see your sister & other family next weekend! Congrats on fitting into the 16's!

Mel - Enjoy the visit with your Indian friend. Hope you don't have any negative reactions to the flu shot!!

Annie - Glad the trip to LV went well. More respect is always good!! Awww, Sassy missed you and you missed her. So cute. The $5 movies are such a good deal - did that only once though. You probably don't have to deal with crowds either. I'm so accustomed to going on Tuesday nights when it's not crowded that I just don't like the idea of going on a Friday or Saturday night AT ALL. I know bf and I will want to see that new James Bond movie together in November. Maybe a matinee...

Hellos to the rest of the gang!!
==
Went to a circuit class last night. It was good. My shoulder is doing well. When I got home from the class, I asked bf to help me with my rotator cuff range of motion exercise and he was all nervous about it at first, lol, but now he understands why it's more effective than doing the moves myself.

My contact lenses need to be picked up at Costco, and I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning. Other than that, I have no plans for this weekend (yay). It's a bye week for da Bears, so boo on that. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be sucky, so I suppose I'll hang out around the house. Plenty to do there anyway. Michelle is going through a move and so is our dept admin and all that talk of packing just makes me want to purge all the excess in the office and basement and closets...

Laura
I hear you on wanting to purge all this extra stuff, especially what I have. I've been switching closets and it seems that I've purchased more summer clothes than I should have. Some I need to purge the worn out clothes any way.

Got a good report from the doctor - I even lost some weight Got my flu shot - now my arm is a bit sore. We talked about the high costs of insurance and my high deductible. She said I could skip the last CT scan of my lung if I desired, since I have had 3 good scans and I have no lung issues whatsoever. That's good as the test alone is $1200. We also skipped some blood tests since everything is good for now - will recheck in 6 months. Gives me time to work on the cholesterol. I will get my mamogram at the end of the month. She said they are cutting back on pap smears - a waste of a test if you have no cancer history, have had the same partner forever (like me) and have never had a questionable pap in the past. Also they are saying you don't really need them past age 65 unless you have some risk behaviors. She laughed when I said my Mom soon to be 86, who had a complete hysterectomy 40 years ago and who claims she has grown back her virginity 7 times over is worried that she hasn't got a pap test in 18 months I assured Mom she no longer needs to worry about this but can still get a boob squish to make up for it

Did alot of errands after the doctor's visit including some big time grocery shopping. Today will be a day to cook - soups, stroganoff and steak and peppers. I will even have an opportunity to take my Mom to church tomorrow since I won't be working.

Ceejay - congrats on fitting into the size 16's ! What a great feeling. Probably a good time to trim the closets.

Laura - that's good that BF helped you with your exercises. Didn't realize that some things it's better if you have help with but that makes sense. Now I remember what the Looper movie was - looked like it would be interesting. Been a long time since I've seen a Bruce Willis movie - is he still a good actor? What does coconut milk do to a recipe - flavor it?

Mel - have a good visit with your friend - shame you can't share lunch but the conversation and companionship is what's important. Glad you are getting a flu shot - my Mom reminded me (18 times) to make sure the doctor gave me one. Since we (you and I) come in contact with lots of sneezy people, probably a good idea to get one. To answer your question, we will take Mom back home to her own house. We'll see what happens. She admits she is spoiled with us doing the cooking and waiting on her. And it will be lonely being by herself but she does not want to stay at our place longer so it's her decision...

Annie - welcome back home. I'm sure Sassy missed you as much as C did - probably more since C understands what 2 days mean and Sassy was not sure if you'd ever come back Good news at work - congrats on the promotion. If not a raise now, hopefully a better one at review time if you jumped a job grade. I hear you on the movie prices - I'm for the matinees too. Actually I don't know how the movie show in town stays in business. They have 4 or 5 screens and it's never busy enough to fill all of them. I'm sure alot of people take advantage of the cheaper matinee prices too. But then there's the kids who date and go at night.

Shad - enjoy your few days at home.

DH talked to the guy dropping gravel on the road and he said they are going to pave our street this coming week. That will be a good thing - especially with winter just around the corner. Also just got a phone call - I have to work Sunday instead of just going back on Monday. There goes my plans for a Bloody Mary or two on Sunday At least I've had a few days off which is good.

Better get off the computer and start cooking - several of my dishes will take a long time to cook and who wants to eat at 9pm? Have a good weekend all.

I have a counseling appointment after work, which has helped me get some perspective on the situation and focus on the positive aspects. After that, it's more packing...I only got 1 medium box packed last night. So tonight, I hope to get at least 2 or 3 done. Then tomorrow, I'll be doing 6-8 hours of packing, and I'm renting a van to take boxes to my storage unit because the house is being crowded with so many packed boxes.

Saturday night, my friend and I are going out to dinner and to a haunted house. Then Sunday it's more packing, taking stuff to storage, and returning the van; followed by the Packer game on TV in the evening.

So dang much to do! It's kind of overwhelming...but at least the ex won't toss my stuff on the curb if I don't get it all out by Nov. 3rd.

My Mini Goals:
1) Consume less than 120 grams of carbs, 30 grams of sugar and 1,100 net calories (factoring in exercise) 2) Exercise 6 days per week at least 45 minutes per day
3) Follow the Bariatric surgery eating plan
4) Make the most of each moment

Michelle - since the new apt is a temporary place, as you are going through things might behoove you to look at them and take only what you want, need and are willing to move to CA once that happens. I know what it's like to live in a house full of boxes. It's double the work to pack them, then go through them again when you move to decide if you really want the stuff. Also costs money to store it and move it again. Might be a good time to keep what you need for current living and cold weather, and let go of some of the other stuff. Your job sounds incredibly busy - will you really have the time and energy to keep dealing with this? And believe me, I am going through the same thing myself. Was debating about a yard sale, never got around to doing that when it most made sense and now I'm about to just haul it off to The Salvation Army or something just to get it out of the house and garage. I really wish I had not wasted so much money on shopping for things I didn't really need.

On another note, it's great that you are getting some counseling help to keep a good perpective on things. That's really important and you are maintaining a much better attitude than I would have.

Happy - Believe me, I am definitely only taking things I want to take to CA. I will be keeping the stuff I won't want or need to unpack in storage (in boxes labeled "C" for California). And I wish I didn't have to get a storage space, but the current house is NOT big enough to "stage" all the packed boxes for 3 weeks and I don't want to have a bunch of unpacked boxes in my new place, and I don't have a lot of storage space in the basement there. I know what you mean about spending money on stuff you didn't really need. I've got a room full of craft supplies that will be going to Goodwill or Salvation Army. I've got a lot of stuff that was my mom's or my dad's that I'm keeping/moving and other than that, I'm taking roughly 20-25% of the rest. Just the stuff I really want/need. As for my attitude...the counseling is helping, as it talking/processing it all with friends and family. The situation sucks, but I can either stay mad as h*ll about it or move forward and try and make it better for me. Believe me, I don't have a good attitude 100% of the time. And even though you all told me from the beginning that I will get through this...I'm now, finally, beginning to believe it.

My Mini Goals:
1) Consume less than 120 grams of carbs, 30 grams of sugar and 1,100 net calories (factoring in exercise) 2) Exercise 6 days per week at least 45 minutes per day
3) Follow the Bariatric surgery eating plan
4) Make the most of each moment

Morning all,
Beautiful day here and you ought to see how my vege patch has grown in the past couple of weeks. The grape tomatoes are looking great even if they seem to have taken over the garden, the beans are ready and the lettuces are being eaten by snails. Yuk. I will have to see if I have any snail bait around. Other than that the house is looking pretty good. And something out there smells delicious. I think it might be that thing that starts with H and smells like either vanilla or cherry pie depending on which variety you have. I can never remember the name of the thing. Although it will probably come to me in the middle of the night.

Michelle - it is nice to hear you sounding a little better over this time in you life. You are doing good sister.

Happy - hope you are enjoying the time off with Mum. Sad she still hasn't seen the wisdom of living with 'the kids' but maybe it might be that she still needs to feel independent and capable of some things. Shame she can't have a little house in an area where there is caring and sharing and folks her own age. Where she lives now, doesn't sound ideal. But it is a hard pull to upstakes and move from everything that is 'life as it was!'.

Annie - seems like you had an interesting trip to Louisville. Hope it all pans out for you. You deserve some good luck at work. Nice that the dog missed you. They are such devoted companions.

Laura - sounds like you might be busy picking up things and going to see the dentist. Hope all goes well there. Gets a bit expensive if it doesn't.

Ceejay - nice that you don't have pneumonia. Happy travels to Jonesboro and congrats on the downsizing in clothes.

Happy - meant to say well done on the weight loss. Good stuff.

Mel - Hope you had a good visit with thie Indian bloke. Had a good trip home, no one sat beside me. Love it, love it, love it. I can raise the armrest and put my feet up. However they had it so cold in there yesterday I had to ask for a blanket. They gave me a pillow as well. Nice.

So the lady over the road from my house was out this morning when I surfaced and I went off to do some shopping. My phone rang about halfway through and she wanted to know if I had taken the car. Lovely lady. I took her over a bunch of beans from the garden and had a chat. She's such a nice person even if I can't always understand what she says.

I bought some cotton/ linen blend pants today and another tee shirt to take to Darwin with me on Monday. The poly pants I have are like living in a plastic bag in that heat. I couldn't find much but will try some more in Darwin during the coming weeks.
I also lost a filling out of my tooth which is to come out for the implant. That means I will have to organise something to have the implant done sooner rather than later. I'll ring the implant man next week to see what we can sort out.

I think it might be lunch time, then time for a little footy on the telly before I go out and sort out the weeds AGAIN. Luckily I don't have to do too much housework. A quick dust and sweep will be all that is needed. Yeaaaaaa, the sort of housework I like.

MORNING CHICKS.
IT FEELS LIKE ONE OF THOSE SPOOKY OCTOBER DAYS OUTSIDED. THE WEATHER JUST CANNOT MAKE UP IT'S MIND EITHER. I AM JUST TOO SLEEPY TO CARE. I THOUGHT FRIDAY WOULD NEVER END AND THEN NEXT THING I KNEW IT WAS ALMOST 11PM.
GOT THE FLU SHOT. JEN DIDN'T. SHE WAS STILL TOO CONGESTED WHEN THEY ARRIVED.
MY FRIEND FROM INDIA SAID GOODBYE AND MAYBE WE WILL SEE HIM NEXT YEAR. NOT SURE. IT WAS A NICE VISIT. BUT SAD.
WORK IN THE OFFICE WAS A DISASTER. NO ONE WAS FOCUSING .
I FINALKLY SAID SCREW IT AFTER I GOT MY SHOT AROUND 2:30 AND LEFT.
I WAS JUST WASTING MY TIME DOWN THERE.
FINISHED UP WITH THE MAINT MAN FOR THE WEEKEND ABOUT 4 AND CLOSED MY DOOR!
TIME FOR SOME BREAKFAST.....WISHING I HAD A CHEF RIGHT ABOUT NOW
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE

HAPPY....I HOPE YOU GET YOUR PAVED ROAD.
HOW DID THE DR VISIT GO??.....OH I SEE IT ALL WENT OK.
THANK GOD FOR GOOD NEWS AND LESS EXPENSIVE TESTS!! YIPPEE!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON POUNDS LOST AND YOUR LUNGS BEING CLEAR FOR SO LONG. THAT ALONE MUST BE A RELIEF
GOOD JOB MISS HAPPY!!
HOPING THAT MOM WILL DO WELL AT HOME.
INDEPENDANCE IS SO IMPORTANT IF IT CAN BE MAINTAINED.
I CAN SEE HOW SHE CAN GET LONELY THOUGH.
AT LEAST HEWRE THERE ARE ALL THE WALKING PITAS TO TALK TO!!!

MICHELLE....THANKS BUT THE DR WAS A NO SHOW
STAY STRONG MY FRIEND i am glad to hear you're still getting counciled. i made a big mistake not doing that so good for you!!!
HAVE A GREAT TIME AT THE HAUNTED HOUSE!!
THE EX WOULDN'T DARE KICK YOUR POSSESSIONS TO THE CURB. YOUR FRASSING SISTERS WOULD BE ALL OVER HIS AZZ LIKE A DIAPER RASH!!

CEEJAY...I SEE YOU ARE SLEEPING THE DOWN TIME!!
BET YOUR BODY IS ENJOYING CATCHING UP ON THOSE Z'S!!!
RAINY DAYS ARE GOOD FOR NAPS AND LAUNDRY.
THE TIME IS FLYING BY AND SOON YOU WILL BE OFF TO SEE SIS!!
HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD NIGHT WITH THE BFF.

LAURA..... I AM GLAD TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE ARM.
BUT I HOPE IIT WILL COINTINUE TO HEAL!!!! IS THIS YOUR DOMINATE ARM?? ARE YOU LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED?
INFLAMMATIONS TRAVEL. THEY CAN BEGIN BY TYPING ON A COMPUTER, USING THE MOUSE, EXERCISING AND THEN DOING ALL THE HOUSEHOLD CHORES AND WALKING THE DOG....EVERYTHING KEEPS THE INFLAMMATION GOING AND SPREADING. JUST A THOUGHT. A DR ONCE TOLD ME ALL THIS AND WHEN I WENT HOME I REALIZED WHY MINE NEVER GOES AWAY!!
HE SAID WHEN YOU GET ONE AND KEEP FANNING THE "FLAMES"....THE "FIRE" TAKES A LONG TIME TO DIE DOWN.
SENDING YOU A HUG
HOPE THE EXERCISE & BF ARE JUST THE TICKET.

ANNIE. BACK!!!! SO GLAD TO HEAR IT WAS A SUCCESS!!
OUR ANNIE WILL BE THE BOSS ONE DAY
HAD A LAUGH ABOUT SASSY MISSING YOU.
I BET CURTIS WAS WAGGIN HIS TAIL WELCOMING YOU HOME TOO!
AND YES....THEIS ALARM MAN JUST WANTED TO GO HOME. BOTH TIMES HE WAS OUT LAST CALL.

SHAD...GLAD THE NEIGHBOR LADY IS ON HER TOES!!
MUST HAVE BEEN A CHILLY BUT COMFORTABLE FLIGHT HOME!!
HOPE THE IOMPLANT DR CAN GET SOMETHING GOING WITH YOUR SCHEDULE.
WILL THIS JOB BE LIKE THIS? WEEKENDS OFF?
HOPE YOU GET RESTED UP WITH THE FOOTY ON TV!!
SNACKS AND A TV.....GOTTA LOVE IT

Kinda cold and gloomy out there. The shop owners came back early so I will be working tomorrow and Monday after all

Today I will be making some chicken soup - regular and wild rice as well as a pork roast. Made steak and peppers (for DH) and beef stroganoff for Mom and I so we should be set with food for a few days into the week. I would make a loaf of bread but we seem to have an abundance of the store bought kind.

Mom's got my Winnie the Poo t-shirt on. She looks cute Most everything she's wearing is mine now. Or was mine once upon a time

Going to church today, a bit of cooking, some housework and I need to get to my book because it's due soon.

Back from Jonesboro. Had a good visit. But I found out that she has decided to go to Utah. She has everything packed and ready to leave next week. She says she's coming back in about a year. We shall see.

Morning all.
Another lovely day here. I've been out and weeded the garden and tied up the rampant tomatoes. Lots of grape tomato trusses on them. Not much on the normal size, but there are flowers there so some will eventually come no doubt. The rose garden is doing well. I have gerbera, and the heliotrope (see I knew I would remember it eventually) and hippeastrum out. The roses are budding up and I must remember to tell DS2 that the big red rose (Mr Lincoln to you and me) will be in full bloom in a couple of days and he should come around and pick them and pretend it is Valentines day.

We must all be on a roll at the moment. Happy, Ceejay, Michelle have all said they have lost weight. Well me too. I seem to have shed a couple of kilos since I have been away. Yeehaa.

Been doing some cooking yesterday, made a casserole so I can divide it up and freeze it. I am also going to make some bolognaise and some meatballs in sauce. Then when I come home for a weekend, I will have something in the freezer that I can just heat along with some rice or pasta. There is no point in have veges and things in the fridge that will spoil - and anyway I can grab some out of the garden if I need them. Lots to do today

Mel - Glad you got to see the Indian bloke. It may or may not be the last time but you at least said goodbye if it is.
We get all weekends off in this contract, however they won't pay for airfares back every week which is fair enough and so I am working the equivalent of a 9 day fortnight with travel Friday afternoon and Monday mornings. It's okay. I may well go visit the DS1 and Sophia on on some of the weekends. I guess I could take two days down there. In the meantime I need to get this tooth sorted so won't make any arrangements as yet.

Happy - hope the walls don't fall in when you go to church. That wouldn't be amusing. Is mum taking your stuff home with her??

Ceejay - unfortunately we need to let our friends make their own mistakes. Especially if they don't want to listen to sound advice. You will miss visiting her I am sure.

So best go get on with the rest of the list which is not getting any smaller. Dang it. Then pack some bits and pieces and get emotionally prepared for Darwin tomorrow.
See ya

Probably should post now - work day tomorrow and Monday so I might not have time to get on. Had an interesting night. Mom and I did go to church - no, it did not fall down. Not even a rumble. Mom is in the midst of switching antiarrythmia drugs. She finished one prescription and was told to wait 3 days before starting the new medication. During those 3 days her once low blood pressure has risen from 97 to as high as 154 on the systolic and almost 100 on the diastolic. Called the cardiologist at 1:30 to check with them, 7 hours later - no return phone call. Her pressure was elevated but not scary emergency room high. Called the doctor's service again, finally got a call back. As suspected, not anything to worry about at this point but start the new medication and monitor the pressure. Then DH was taking his pressure and while low, his heart beat / pulse was 130. This after sitting in a chair and doing nothing strenuous. He is fed up with doctors - they put him on an antiarrythimia drug to minimize the palpatations and instead it has just made them worse. Very frustrating as he is not getting much help from the doctors. He refused to call them, just sent an email to the clinic. 20 minutes later his heart beat is back to 72 bpm.

Shad - I was thinking heliotrope but that is pretty much the only flower of yours I can remember besides roses and orchids. I did see that in Chicago at the arboretum but did not realize it smelled like cherry or vanilla. Glad that the veggie garden is doing well. Is DS minding the garden while you are away? Sorry to hear the tooth will not wait until the implant is ready - hope you don't have to throw away good money for a temporary fix. As to your question about Mum - she might take a sweater or two home with her if she likes it that much, otherwise she stockpiles her closet here so that when she comes to visit again, she knows she has pajamas and pants and tops and robes and other such things that she doesn't have to bring. Told her that basically she just needs to bring her undies and I can pretty much supply the rest. Did take a bit of hunting to find the box of smaller sizes but she likes her stuff roomy and we worked it out. We'll see what she wants to sneak home with her and discuss it later tho I think there's nothing I have said no to even tho I really liked some of the t-shirts I let go of. As for packing for Darwin, don't you have some lightweight knits in your travelling wardrobe or is it too warm for them? Guess you need some cotton t-shirts and capris for the tropics.

Ceejay - glad you had a good visit. Did you enjoy the weather outside? It looked like it was a nice day - what I wouldn't give for a few days of those temperatures.

Mel - come on over, I'm cooking for Mom, no trouble to set an extra plate. Roast turkey or beef stroganoff. Pork roast tomorrow, chicken noodle soup the day after. Did the gloom go away or did the sun come out? Was that your Indian friend - Bala??? that came to visit? Is he an auditor or was it strictly a social visit?

Michelle - I was telling Mom that I admire your tenacity to stay positive about this whole situation. Anger will serve no purpose other than to put a strain on your already stressed out psyche. When are you thinking of heading back to CA? Do you need one more WI winter under your belt to remind you of what you won't be missing It is a shame that you have so much craft stuff to give away. Local schools might take them too as their art budgets are pretty much non existant. My friend's DMIL passed on and she had a whole attic full of craft stuff, they donated it to a school who was delighted to get it. She didn't even sort the boxes - said take it or leave it, can't guarantee that colored pens still worked but they were happy for the materials. Just a thought... I don't envy you the task ahead.

It's 10:30pm. Guess I'd better get off the computer and get ready for bed. I can't say I'm excited about going to work tomorrow. Mom said she will miss me